Will pharma advertisers respond to new niche mags?…

Pharma companies interested in reaching Latinos will have an array of new niche-print media platforms to choose from this spring. It remains to be seen whether these new launches will expand pharma advertising in print media targeting Hispanics (see page 8 of this issue). Diabetes Forecast en Español was launched by the American Diabetes Association at the end of January. As a consumer/lifestyle quarterly Diabetes Forecast en Español puts more emphasis on reaching consumers than the soon-to-be-launched Direct-to product (see below). Diabetes Forecast en Español contains culturally sensitive articles in English and Spanish, both original and adapted from Diabetes Forecast. The new publication offers healthy lifestyle information, recipes and other news. “Our goal for the first year is to reach a circulation of 100,000,” Kendra Gutschow from the American Diabetes Association told Portadatm. Subscriptions will be free for the first year. In 2005 the magazine subscription will be included in the ADA membership fee. Its English counterpart Diabetes Forecast (circ. 446,000) uses a similar subscriber acquisition strategy. Advertisers in the first issue of Diabetes Forecast en Español include BD Logic, Day-Timer, One Touch, Accu-Chek and Glucerna. Additionally, the American Diabetes Association will partner with Univision in “Salud es Vida... Enterate!” a cross-platform health education initiative. Its main goal is to raise awareness, increase knowledge and encourage informed decision-making about health.

...and other products geared to healthcare professionals.

Direct To, published by Mahwah, NJ based Direct To Publishing, is a new patient prescription pad program targeting 15,000 Diabetes Educators, Diabetologists and Endocrinologists. Prescription pads, each containing 16 patient tear-outs (eight in Spanish – “Dirigido a,” and eight in English – “Direct to”) are given to diabetes professionals who in turn hand them out to their patients. A total of 240,000 tear-outs, half in Spanish and half in English, will be distributed in this way. The front page of the prescription pads will be available to advertisers targeting healthcare professionals. Each of the sixteen tear-outs will contain information in English and Spanish about diabetes and nutrition, along with space for doctor prescriptions. The back of the tear-out sheets will carry sponsors' ad messages in Spanish and English. Nick Minicucci, publisher of Direct To, tells Portadatm he plans to run the Direct To publishing program four to six times a year.

Meredith Corporation has entered into a binding agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Time Inc. for US$18.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at us$2.8 billion.Meredith adds leading media brands to already strong portfolio of National and Local Media Properties, creating media powerhouse with US$4.8 Billion in Revenues, Including US$2.7 billion of advertising revenues.